SUNDAY IN THE COUNTRY. THE spotted horse is put away, The hoop, and kite, and top, and ball; For 'tis the holy Sabbath day, When Christians go to church and pray To God, who loveth all. To-day the doll is put aside, The story-books placed out of sight; For we must seek a holier guide, And read how Christ the Saviour died For us on Calvary's height. The creaking waggon's in the shed, His leathern gloves and hooked bill To-day the woodman throws aside; The blacksmith's fiery forge is still; The wooden wheel of the old mill Sleeps in the mill-dam wide. The miller's boat is anchored where, The barrow's in the garden shed, Hoe, rake, and spade are put away; Unweeded stands the onion-bed, The gardener from his work hath fled, This holy Sabbath-day. Upon the wall the white cat sleeps, By which the churns and milk-pans lie; And sweetly over hill and dale The silvery-sounding church-bells ring; From where the white-washed Sunday-school You hear the Sabbath hymn. From farm, and field, and grange grown grey, For the great God Himself did say, And set apart that holy day To worship Me, and sing and pray, SUMMER WOODS. COME ye into the summer woods; All greenly wave the chestnut leaves, I cannot tell you half the sights The bursts of golden sunshine, There, lightly swung, in bowery glades And the dark-blue columbine. There grows the four-leaved plant, "true-love," In some dusk woodland spot; There grows the enchanter's night-shade, And the wood forget-me-not. And many a merry bird is there, The blue-winged jay, the woodpecker, Come down, and ye shall see them all, The timid and the bold; For this sweet life of pleasantness And far within that summer wood, There come the little gentle birds, Down to the murmuring water's edge, And freely drink their fill! And dash about and splash about, The merry little things; And look askance with bright black eyes, |